Legionella and Cooling Tower Awareness
Construction and general industry · Ver en español
Talking points
- Legionella bacteria grow in warm, stagnant water — cooling towers, hot tubs, decorative fountains, and building water systems that have been idle are primary sources.
- Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia contracted by inhaling water droplets containing the bacteria. It is not transmitted person-to-person.
- Construction workers are at risk when working on or near cooling towers, commissioning HVAC systems, or performing work in buildings where water systems have been dormant.
- Before flushing or restarting any building water system that has been idle, consult the facility management. Water treatment and thermal disinfection may be needed first.
- Symptoms appear 2-10 days after exposure and include high fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and headaches. Report these symptoms to a doctor and mention potential Legionella exposure.
Ask the crew
Are we working near any cooling towers or restarting any water systems that have been sitting idle?
Standards this talk is built on
- Section 5(a)(1)
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
Run this talk with your crew and keep the record
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Sign-in sheet
Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
© Jobsite. Free to read aloud, print and use in your own crew's safety meetings. Republishing, reselling or bulk-copying these talks is not permitted.